Will Roxanne put on the red light in District 3?

During the city council meeting on November 29, 2016 Rivera Rivera announced with tears in his eyes that he would not seek re-election.  A few hours later a young single mother came virtually out of nowhere to announce her plan to run for Arlington City Council District 3.  Her name is Roxanne Thalman.  People in our community had never heard of her, except for the buzz around town concerning a so-called skeleton in this woman's closet. 

Last week outside the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum a married couple stood quietly across the street protesting outside the Lions Club. They claimed that Ms. Thalman wrecked their lives. Their story is absolutely gut wrenching.

During the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum last night one couple quietly protested outside. #ArlingtonTX #AmericanDreamCity pic.twitter.com/ePSxiXMG64

— Fish Creek Monitor (@Fishcreek1269) April 18, 2017

We will not speak to that incident at this time, but can show you the money because elected officials tend to represent those who support them financially. That's just Politics 101. To date, over 90% nearly 99% of Ms. Thalman's campaign contributions have come from outside District 3. Click Here for the link to the campaign finance reports.

We've highlighted one donor who piqued our curiosity. His name is Jagdip Patel, and he contributed $1001 on March 16th to the Roxanne Thalman campaign. According to TAD records, he owns a home in Southlake with a market value of $1,453,875.  These records also reveal that this individual owns substantial mineral interests with XTO in Arlington. This begs the question ~ whose side will Roxanne be on when the gas drilling ramps up again? It has been our experience that surface owners ie, people who live on top of the shale have no rights when it comes to protecting their homes and quality of life. Unfortunately, many people who own their minerals don't live here, which is why there has been such a loud outcry against oil and gas rules currently in place.  

According to Corporation Wiki, Mr. Patel has been associated with 25 companies over a 23-year period.  Records show that he is involved with the hotels industry which would probably connect him to the entertainment district of Arlington where a new one billion dollar stadium will be built on the taxpayers' dime. In light of this we especially need a candidate who's going to go to bat for residents who actually live on the southeast side where there are telltale signs of urban decay, increasing crime, and the sight of panhandlers who beg for money at major intersections.  

A generous portion of Ms. Thalman's money comes from the same individuals and groups that have been funding the incumbants.  So, while everyone continues to rant about voting out the incumbants, we have our chance to do so now before she gets elected.  Roxanne's campaign flyers claim that she will fight for us, but it's looking like her heart belongs to someone else.  Don't let her pretty little face and the powder blue signs around town fool you. She's bought and paid for ~ nothing but a rubber stamp.  

"Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light" are the lyrics to a hit song released in 1978 by a group called The Police.  This is a song about falling in love with a prostitute, and can be allegorically reminiscent of many political campaigns throughout history.  Let's hope we turn this ship around before it's too late.  

  
Early voting begins April 24th.  Election Day is May 6th. 

 

Are Frac Ponds a Public Health Threat?

Chesapeake Energy Frac Pond located at the Fulson Drill Site 
Southeast Arlington, TX
Photograph taken by Fish Creek Monitor on 7-26-2016

Vector Disease Control International conducted round two of targeted ground spraying throughout Fish Creek neighborhood this week.  They applied the first round of a synthetic permethrin insecticidal product manufactured by Bayer the week of July 5th, but on July 22nd another mosquito tested positive for West Nile virus.

Looks like they missed the target.

A single bite from one of these tiny winged insects can produce devastating disease.  Because we noticed such a proliferation of mosquitoes since the installation of the frac pond in our community ~ and since mosquitoes have the ability to travel anywhere from 300 feet to 100 miles depending on the breed ~ we asked the City if they require gas operators to implement any sort of mosquito control program for their frac ponds.

We learned that the City of Arlington does require gas operators to treat their frac ponds with mosquito dunks, but verification of compliance is questionable at best.  There is really no way to confirm whether or not the mosquito pellets [sic] that Chesapeake applies to their pond are working to keep the mosquito population at bay. 

According to a Gas Well Specialist with the City of Arlington, this is how compliance works:  

"We (the City) go by their (Chesapeake's) word. They've been pretty honest about the things they do."

 So, how do we know if the pellets are actually working to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in these ponds?  We don't.  The City does not place mosquito traps on gas operators' private property.

Since it is possible that frac ponds might be contributing to mosquito-borne illness, why not require operators to fill them in with dirt?  Chesapeake hasn't drilled any new wells at the Fulson Site since 2012, so there is no need for a pond at this time.  This would be a legitimate request by citizens to ask of their council representatives. Why take the chance of even one person contracting the West Nile or Zika virus?  In the early days of mineral lease signing, landmen pitched the idea that frac ponds would be amenities to the community.  Now people know better.

 Ban the frac ponds.

Doing away with frac ponds in city limits could actually be a win-win for everyone.  It was done at Chesapeake's Rocking Horse Drill Site back in 2012.   Gas operators would still be able to access water for fracking through the installation of above-ground frac tanks/pools which can be easily taken down after completion of a gas well.  XTO, in fact, uses them on a regular basis. Ridding the city of these stagnant man-made reservoirs which waste acreage would not only free up land for future development, but would eliminate a potential breeding habitat for mosquitoes.  

In 2015 fossil fuel advocates influenced the Texas Legislature to pass HB40.  This bill essentially strips away local control from municipalities to regulate fracking with some exceptions such as truck traffic, noise, and setbacks to some degree as long as these restrictions are "commercially reasonable" for the operator.  However, this bill does not specifically address frac ponds.  Since operators could still gain access to an alternative water source, it would seem reasonable that Arlington, a home rule city, could be a role model for other nearby communities by shoring up its ordinance to address this potential public health threat of mosquito-borne illness.  

Our State's overreach of HB40 may have banned fracking bans, but it doesn't specifically prohibit the banning of  frac ponds. Because of the number of cases of  mosquito-borne illnesses in North Texas, this may be a subject worth thinking about.  

In case you missed Chesapeake's Big Boy, click here to meet him.
 

Every Vote Counts

How many ways can we suppress the vote?  Arlington, TX City Councilman, Robert Rivera, will host his third gas drilling town hall to be held on Election Day despite objections from citizens.  There are concerns that a meeting held on this day could pull focus away from the election process and have a negative impact on the vote.  Every vote counts, so we can't afford to lose a single one.

In April, citizens suspected voter suppression when we learned that the well-established early polling location at the South Service Center would no longer be utilized.  The new location at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church ~ chosen by two City staffers ~ would be even further away from our community.   Many spoke out at City Hall on April 14th.  Council claimed that they didn't know anything about this change, even though this maneuver had been in the works for months.  Scroll 56:00 minutes into the meeting to hear Councilman Rivera's explanation about why it's too late to reinstate our early voting location for this year's municipal election.  He says, "It's already out of our control... There's simply nothing else we can do." 

This explanation did not sit well with Marvin Sutton, who is running against Rivera, District 3 incumbent.  Marvin, along with community groups, pushed to get our early voting location reinstated for this municipal election.  Click here to view the 7-minute long special meeting of its reinstatement.  

Even State Representative Chris Turner (HD101) ~ who typically doesn't meddle in city affairs ~ intervened.  Click here to read the letter he sent to Mayor Cluck.

We spoke with supporters from various campaigns throughout the week, and they all report that they have had no trouble with parking ~ one of the reasons given for the need to close that location. 

Now, since nothing of substance was accomplished during the first two gas drilling meetings other than citizens venting their frustrations over fracking inside the community, we see no reason to waste taxpayer resources on another fruitless meeting where Mr. Rivera might potentially scoop up some last minute votes for himself, and we are pulled away from working our campaign.  It interferes with the political process. 

The previous two town halls did nothing to improve living conditions for the neighbors living near the Sue Barnett Site.   XTO's operations are still an ongoing nuisance.  They reluctantly agreed to wrap the rig floor with a sound blanket, but it is still noisy. Sometimes we can hear that rig from a mile away!  It sounds like an older model in need of a tune up and a brake job.

Furthermore, it is pointless to hold another meeting to discuss gas drilling when it is more likely than not that Texas municipalities will soon lose local control over the regulation of oil & gas.  On April 30th, the Texas State Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development swiftly voted to pass HB40 with a unanimous vote of 9-0.   Click here for the link to watch this committee hearing, which is just under an hour long.  

Although the State will allow cities to regulate surface activities such as lights, truck traffic, and noise, these regulations must be "commercially reasonable," which is ambiguous language that the committee refused to eliminate from the bill.  In essence, we really won't be able to do much to protect safety or quality of life if HB40 becomes law because this is heavy industrial mining happening inside the neighborhoods in very close proximity to our homes.

NO ONE from our city attended the hearing in Austin ~ not even our lobbyists from HillCo.   When we inquired with Jennifer Weichman, Director of Management Resources for the City of Arlington,  as to the reason why no one attended such an important committee hearing on behalf of our City, she stated, "Our goal was not to change the bill...We think the way it's working is working fine...We monitored it... We put our resources where we can."

It is curious that our City chose to NOT spend resources in Austin on April 30th to defend democracy, property rights, and health and safety of its residents, yet they choose to allocate City resources for staff overtime to hold yet another pointless gas drilling meeting for Robert Rivera just hours before the polls close on Election Day. 

Early voting continues through May 5, 2015.  
For hours and locations, click Here.

Election Day is Saturday, May 9, 2015.

Click here for information on how candidates stand on local issues. 

The Fish Creek Monitor endorses Marvin Sutton for District 3 Arlington City Council.

Just How Temporary Are Those Frac Ponds?

Did Mayor Cluck really tell Charles Davis of Chesapeake to, "go ahead and drill 80 wells if you want to"?  {on the Rocking Horse Pad Site }  Yes, he did ~ as long as they can find a different water source because he wants them to take that frac tank [sic] out.  We can't blame the developer for wanting that frac pond removed because as long as that pond sits there, he cannot develop his property.

These ponds are temporary. 

     Definition of temporary: not permanent; a short period of time.  

So, the question is:  Who gets to define temporary?  It has been two years, and only one well out of a dozen or so have been drilled.  At this rate, the temporary frac pond will need to remain for an additional 22 years!  

(June 5, 2012 Arlington City Council Public Hearing - Rocking Horse Well)

(We wonder what brand of gum XTO's Walter Dueease is chewing?)

Now let's talk about the water.  Last summer ~ during the intense Texas drought when residents were asked to conserve ~ water was being transported via an elaborate pipeline highway which stretched under Interstate 20 from a mega church's pond  and reached its final destination at the I-20 JV Drill Site adjacent to Bowie High School.  Click here to see those photos and story from last summer.  

Whew.  It was a really hot summer!

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

It has come to our attention that  today, June 29th is Charles Davis' last day of employment with Chesapeake.  We would like to share his farewell letter with you:

"It is with great sadness to inform you that my last day with Chesapeake will be this Friday, June 29. Every one of you has played a vital role in my development at Chesapeake Energy and within your community. Thank you for always having an open door.

Even though my last day with Chesapeake is this week, please rest assured that you will continue to have access to information regarding the company's operations. If you or your neighbors have any questions regarding your lease, royalty payments, status of operations at a wellsite, or are just curious about future plans, our Neighbor Relations team remains ready to answer those questions. They can be reached at askchesapeake@chk.com or by calling 817.502.5000.

Truly, I will miss you all, and thankful to our digital world we are only an e-mail.[sic] So as I hang my Chesapeake hat on the door, I would like to say "ciao" for now. I am sure our paths will cross again, and I will forever remain appreciative for our business relationship."

Sincerely,
Charles Davis